Flash Gordon (serial)
Flash Gordon is the first movie serial adapting Alex Raymond's original comic strip. The 13-chapter serial starred Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, Jean Rogers as Dale Arden, and Charles Middleton as Emperor Ming. Each chapter is approximately 20 minutes long. In 1934, Universal Pictures licensed several King Features Syndicates comic strips to adapt as serials, including Flash Gordon, Secret Agent X-9, Ace Drummond and another Raymond-created strip, Jungle Jim. Flash Gordon's appeal as a science-fiction adventure inspired Universal to splurge on a much larger budget than usual -- reportedly, Flash was budgeted at $350,000, which was more than three times the average budget for a serial at the time. Still, the production worked on a very tight schedule; the entire four-hour production was shot in six weeks. Roy Kinnard, Science Fiction Serials. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998. The serial was very successful, especially for a serial; it was Universal's second biggest-grossing film of 1936, beaten only by Three Smart Girls. The serial was so popular that it was shown in evening performances -- serials were usually only shown at matinees. Roy Kinnard, Science Fiction Serials. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998. Synopsis #'The Planet of Peril': The planet Mongo is on a collision course with Earth. Dr. Hans Zarkov takes off in a rocketship to Mongo, with Flash Gordon and Dale Arden as his assistants. They find that the planet is ruled by the cruel Emperor Ming, who lusts after Dale and sends Flash to fight in the arena. Ming's daughter, Princess Aura, tries to spare Flash's life. #'The Tunnel of Terror': Aura helps Flash to escape as Zarkov is put to work in Ming's laboratory and Dale is prepared for her wedding to Ming. Flash meets Prince Thun, leader of the Lion Men, and the pair return to the palace to rescue Dale. #'Captured by Shark Men': Flash stops the wedding ceremony, but he and Dale are captured by King Kala, ruler of the Shark Men and a loyal follower of Ming. At Ming's order, Kala forces Flash to fight with a giant octocsac. #'Battling the Sea Beast': Aura and Thun rescue Flash from the octosac. Trying to keep Flash away from Dale, Aura destroys the mechanisms that regulate the underwater city. #'The Destroying Ray': Flash, Dale, Aura and Thun escape from the underwater city, but are captured by King Vultan and the Hawkmen. Dr. Zarkov befriends Prince Barin, and they race to the rescue. #Flaming Torture #Shattering Doom #The Tournament of Death #Fighting the Fire Dragon #The Unseen Peril #In the Claws of the Tigron #Trapped in the Turret #Rocketing to Earth Notes *The theme tune is an excerpt from Franz Liszt's Les Preludes. *The music for the opening and closing of each chapter, as well as the theme under the recap at the beginning of each chapter, was composed for the serial by Clifford Vaughan. The remainder of the musical score is recycled from classical compositions, or the scores of other Universal films, including The Invisible Man, The Black Cat and Werewolf of London. Roy Kinnard, Science Fiction Serials. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998. Cast *Flash Gordon : Buster Crabbe *Dale Arden : Jean Rogers *Emperor Ming : Charles Middleton *Princess Aura : Priscilla Lawson *Dr. Zarkov : Frank Shannon *Prince Barin : Richard Alexander *King Vultan : John Lipson *Prince Thun : James Pierce *King Kala : Duke York, Jr. *Officer Torch : Earl Askam *Professor Gordon : Richard Tucker *Professor Hensley : George Cleveland *High Priest : Theodore Lorch / Lon Poff *Zona : Muriel Goodspeed *Shark man : House Peters, Jr. *Ape men : Bull Montana, Constantine Romanoff *Tigron's mistress : Sana Raya *Orangopoid : Ray "Crash" Corrigan *Soldiers : Lane Chandler, Fred Kohler, Jr., Al Ferguson *Fire monster/soldier : Glenn Strange *Woman in Ming's palace : Carroll Borland *Others : Lynton Brent, Don Brodie, Jim Corey, Charles Whitaker, Bunny Waters, Fred Sommers, Monte Montague, Howard Christie Credits *Producer: Henry MacRae *Directors: Frederick Stephani, Ray Taylor (uncredited) *Screenplay: Frederick Stephani, George Plympton, Basil Dickey, Ella O'Neill *Original music: Clifford Vaughan, David Claxton *Art Director: Ralph Berger References See also *Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars *Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe 1